Chapter 6: 005 Digging a Pit

Living in the same ward, Lady Qi had long heard that the Shen family’s daughter-in-law was not favored by her mother-in-law. That was why she had said what she just did—to provoke Lady Hua and make her lose face before her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. She never expected that the momentum would be reversed in a few short sentences by a mere slip of a girl like Shen Yan. Now that Madam Shen had asked this question, how was she supposed to answer?

Shen Yan had never doubted Madam Shen’s combat prowess, even though she had never seen her engage in a real battle. Of course, from the moment she stepped out of the Second Branch’s courtyard toward the main hall, she had no intention of losing this fight.

When Lady Qi remained silent for a long time, Shen Yan turned toward the upper seat. Braving Madam Shen’s gaze, which felt like the scorching sun of midsummer, and the ambiguous look cast by Lady Chen from the side, she spoke calmly and composedly: "In reply to Madam, it is nothing much. It is just that the young heir of the Gu family and Song Jiang said that we, the Shen family, are not even fit to carry the shoes of the Duke of Rong’s mansion. They also said that if the Emperor wants to protect his empire, he relies on noble houses like the Duke of Rong’s, not on these civil officials."

"I refused to accept that, so they pushed me against the ornamental pillar until I was knocked unconscious."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Lady Qi’s face turn pale with fright, but even Madam Shen and Lady Hua jumped up!

"You are spouting nonsense!"

"Hold your tongue!" Lady Qi pointed at her, then looked at Gu Song—who was standing there with a bruised eye, looking like a toad—and then back at her. Her voice began to tremble: "How could our Song-ge'er ever say such things!"

Although the nobility might occasionally harbor thoughts of arrogance and pride in their own merits, how could such words be spoken in broad daylight? The Emperor was the Son of Heaven; the eternal peace of the vast empire relied on the protection of Heaven and the ancestors of the Zhao clan! To say it relied on the nobility was no different from courting death. Even setting that aside, for civil and military officials to disparage each other like this went against the Emperor’s current intention of winning over the civil officials!

Lady Qi was truly frightened into a cold sweat.

She gripped Gu Song’s shoulders tightly. Perhaps she used too much force, as Gu Song gritted his teeth and held his breath, not daring to move.

Lady Hua had originally been trembling with anger at Lady Qi, and she was still in shock from the words Shen Yan had spoken on her behalf. Now, hearing these further revelations, "shock" was no longer enough to describe her state of mind!

She knew her daughter too well. Because she had been spoiled by Shen Mi and Hua Juncheng, she was simply fearless.

But no matter how fearless she was, she was still a nine-year-old child. How could she display such powerful offensive capabilities against the people from the Duke of Rong’s mansion who had come to cause trouble? And as a child, how did she know to use such words to strike back? She did not believe for a second that Shen Yan, who never suffered a loss, had said these things without a purpose!

She glared at Shen Yan secretly, carrying a warning tone.

Madam Shen was not feeling at ease either. Master Shen was a Grand Secretary of the fallen dynasty and now held a high position in the Great Zhou. Since ancient times, a subject does not serve two masters. As a prominent scholarly family, the Shen family was already subject to criticism. If Shen Yan’s words were to break the relationship with the Gu family and cause a rift with the nobility, what benefit would it bring to the Shen family?

If she were a sensible person, she would have covered this up even if it were true. But Shen Yan—she had just blurted it all out without any restraint!

However, Lady Qi’s earlier disdain for the Shen family had already made her uncomfortable. It is easy to go from low to high, but the psychological gap is vast when going from high to low. Once upon a time, the Shen family was a century-old prestigious clan with a thousand followers; the Gu family were merely new nobles who relied on a few military achievements. In terms of foundation, they were far behind the Shen family!

Even without mentioning official ranks, in terms of seniority, Lady Qi should still respect her as a Madam. No matter how much she disliked Lady Hua, as long as she hadn't been cast out of the family, she was still a member of the Shen family. How could Lady Qi, an outsider, point fingers at the Shen family’s elders? This was no longer a matter of internal household disputes; it was a matter of dignity and face!

Shen Yan might appear foolish and ignorant, but these words were equivalent to slapping the Gu family in the face on behalf of the Shen family. Whether the words were true or false, it had at least embarrassed Lady Qi. With the descendants of the nobility daring to say such things in broad daylight, what could they do to the Shen family now that they had this leverage?

Of course, these were private thoughts kept behind closed doors; she would never show them on the surface.

She glared at Shen Yan and scolded in a low voice: "Yan-jie'er, hold your tongue!"

Shen Yan caught the faint glimmer in her eyes, sneered inwardly, and lowered her head in submission.

"Do not take offense, Heir’s Madam. Yan-jie'er has not been back in the capital for long, and there hasn't been time to teach her many of the rules. The Duke of Rong is knowledgeable and broad-minded; naturally, the young heir of your noble mansion would not say such things."

Madam Shen stood at the head of the room, looking at Lady Qi with a dignified smile. "Our Shen family is not an unreasonable household. It seems Yan-jie'er and the young heir merely had a small quarrel. A mother’s love for her son is only natural. However, there is a long road ahead, and the Shen family still relies on the Duke of Rong’s care in many matters. Since it is just a misunderstanding, in my opinion, it would be better to let it go."

Lady Qi was already in a state of panic from Shen Yan’s words. She hadn't even clarified the situation herself; she only knew that Gu Song had also been in the wrong. How could she have imagined that such words would come out of Shen Yan’s mouth? It would be one thing if Shen Yan were just lying, but if the Shen family took this matter to the imperial court, what good would come of it for the Gu family?

With so many people watching, it was inconvenient for her to question Gu Song; otherwise, if things went wrong, wouldn't she lose her own face?

Now, hearing the implication in Madam Shen’s words—that she wanted to downplay the matter—Lady Qi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. How could she still have the heart to hold Shen Yan accountable? Besides, the Shen family had deep roots. On the surface, they looked quiet and old-fashioned, but to have stood firm through two dynasties, they must have had their own extraordinary strengths.

Seeing Madam Shen speak so tactfully, she was ready to step down from the slope. But the moment she saw Shen Yan standing to the side as if nothing had happened after hitting Gu Song, she became unwilling again.

It was impossible to make her apologize to Gu Song now, but she couldn't just let her go like this!

After thinking for a moment, she said to Shen Yan: "Since both sides have exchanged blows, let this matter be put to rest. However, you should not be so frivolous and stir up trouble. If you kowtow and admit your mistake, we can call it even."

When Shen Yan heard this, she suddenly laughed.

Her purpose in dragging Madam Shen into this was to force her to step forward and negotiate with Lady Qi. Neither she nor Lady Hua were qualified to confront Lady Qi, but wasn't Madam Shen? Now that things had reached this point, for Lady Qi to still demand she kowtow and apologize—she really had the nerve to say it.

She looked up at the seat: "May I ask Madam, is this kowtow something this granddaughter should perform, or should she not?"

Madam Shen had capsized in the gutter today, being outmaneuvered by a slip of a girl like Shen Yan, and she hadn't gained any advantage over Lady Qi either. She was full of suppressed anger, and now that the matter was finally about to be resolved, she wanted to see Shen Yan suffer a little. When the question was asked, she immediately darkened her face and said: "As a junior, a kowtow is nothing!"

Shen Yan smiled again.

Ten years later, the Duke of Rong would be impeached by the censor Duan Jinzhe for poor household management and nearly fall from grace, while the Shen family would win the Emperor’s favor by repeatedly recommending talent to the court. Madam Shen was, after all, the mistress of a century-old prestigious family, yet she only boosted others' morale and blindly lowered her status to appease the situation. At this moment, she truly felt it was a waste for the ancestors of the Shen family.

Stirring up trouble... She was in the right, so she would never agree to such humiliating conditions. Furthermore, the reason Lady Qi gave for her to apologize was absurd!

Shen Yan stood on the floor, lifted her head, and her eyes first swept over Lady Hua, who was secretly gripping her hand to keep her from kneeling, then glanced at Shen Ming and Shen Shen in the crowd, before turning her clear eyes toward the upper seat: "Kowtowing is easy enough, but the Heir’s Madam said I should apologize for stirring up trouble—by the way, Madam, why haven't I seen Eldest Sister come over today?"

Seeing that she wouldn't listen, Madam Shen’s face darkened immediately. But then, thinking about her seemingly unrelated question, her eyebrows twitched. That’s right, the Shen family had more than one daughter. The Shen family passed down their legacy through poetry and ritual; regardless of gender, they were all expected to follow the rules. Throughout the generations, the daughters of the Shen family had become the most sought-after wives precisely because of this.

For a woman to stir up trouble was, at its worst, one of the seven grounds for divorce. Although Shen Yan was not yet married, if she admitted to this, it wouldn't just be her own reputation that was ruined!

This Lady Qi looked young, but she hadn't expected traps to be hidden in every word. She had already lowered her status to smooth things over, and yet she still wanted to set a pit for her to jump into! Was she bullying her because she was easy to talk to?

In that brief glance, Madam Shen was already feeling a mix of annoyance and shame.

Lady Qi, unaware of the underlying currents, was just waiting for her to speak again and make Shen Yan bow her head. Who would have thought that Madam Shen, after looking down at her fingernails for a moment, would suddenly look up at Shen Yan and laughingly scold: "Among all the Shen girls, you are the most cunning! It’s all your father’s fault for spoiling you in Jinling. When he returns, I must settle the score with him!"

She then turned her head and looked at Lady Qi with piercing eyes: "People often say a prime minister’s stomach can hold a boat. For families like ours, the fact that the children can play together shows the bond between our two houses."

"The Heir’s Madam is a rare guest. To the left, Censor Lu is also our long-time neighbor, who often discusses poetry and literature with our Master. Censor Lu is known as a straightforward official in the court, upright and incorruptible, and Madam Lu is also a kind person who often visits our home. If the Heir’s Madam doesn't mind, please come over for tea another day."

Lady Qi was stunned with anger!

What kind of people were these in the Shen family? This Madam Shen was fickle; her meaning now was very clear. She had first laughingly scolded Shen Yan to pull her away, and then brought up the relationship with Censor Lu. Was she using Shen Yan’s earlier words to threaten her? She was certain that even if Gu Song and the others had said something excessive, the original words were definitely not what Shen Yan had claimed. So, was the whole Shen family colluding to embarrass her?

It was simply intolerable!

She repeatedly scrutinized Madam Shen’s expression, only to see that the other woman’s gaze was calm and her smile indifferent. It seemed she had made up her mind not to let Shen Yan jump into that pit. In that case, she had gained nothing from this trip! Was Gu Song just supposed to have been beaten by Shen Yan for nothing?

As the dignified Heir’s Madam of the Duke of Rong’s mansion, when had she ever been rebuffed like this?

She stepped forward abruptly: "Madam Shen, regarding today’s matter—"